Finland Times

The Immigration Service in a press release said it has suspended written certification as it wishes to serve its customers – both employers and the asylum seekers wanting to work – faster and in a more efficient manner than before.

The number of asylum seekers increased almost tenfold last year and there were also significantly more requests for certificates on the right to work. Processing of these requests now takes up to several months.

The Finnish Immigration Service has sought for solutions to eliminate the backlog and has decided to no longer issue written certificates. 

In the future, an employer who wants to hire an asylum seeker residing in Finland can verify that the person has the right to work by calling a phone number established by the agency for this purpose.

According to the Immigration Service, the law does not require the agency to issue certificates on the right to work.

This has been a supplementary service offered by the Finnish Immigration Service which was introduced when the number of applicants was small.